Today we pick up our study of Revelation, we find ourselves in Chapter 2, verses 1-7. Christ tells John: Write this to Ephesus, to the Angel of the church. The One with Seven Stars in his right-fist grip, striding through the golden seven-lights’ circle, speaks: 2-3 “I see what you’ve done, your hard, hard work, your refusal to quit. I know you can’t stomach evil, that you weed out apostolic pretenders. I know your persistence, your courage in my cause, that you never wear out. 4-5 “But you walked away from your first love—why? What’s going on with you, anyway? Do you have any idea how far you’ve fallen? A Lucifer fall! “Turn back! Recover your dear early love. No time to waste, for I’m well on my way to removing your light from the golden circle. 6 “You do have this to your credit: You hate the Nicolaitan business. I hate it, too. 7 “Are your ears awake? Listen. Listen to the Wind Words, the Spirit blowing through the churches. I’m about to call each conqueror to dinner. I’m spreading a banquet of Tree-of-Life fruit, a supper plucked from God’s orchard.” Christ begins His message by complimenting the church at Ephesus on the things they are doing right. He is pleased with their hard work and their efforts to keep evil pretenders from penetrating their midst. He applauds their persistence and courage. It took courage to be a follower of Christ in that day. Persecution of Christians was the very reason that John was on the Isle of Patmos in exile. In verse 4, though, Christ lowers the boom. He tells them they have walked away from their first love. What is He referring to? He is talking about their love for Him and their zeal for spreading the Gospel. Remember that feeling you had when you first turned your life over to Jesus? You were excited! You couldnt wait to tell people about it. You wanted everyone to find what you had found. You read your Bible faithfully. You prayed constantly. You talked everything over with Jesus. He was your first love. Christ wants to know what is going on with them. He wants to know why they have deviated from their Primary Purpose. What is their Primary Purpose, you ask? The Primary Purpose of any church or gathering of believers is to spread the Good News of the Gospel of Christ! If that isnt what we are doing, if sharing Jesus with a lost world, we have wandered away and Christ warns us clearly that this is a Lucifer Fall. It doesnt get much plainer than that. Christ is telling them they are in grave error! Jesus warns them to turn back. Does He say quit? Absolutely not! He well knows that we are human and due to our human nature we make errors....grave ones at times. He lovingly tells them to turn back, to recover their early dear love. He is not pushing them away, He is attempting to draw them back to Him...back to their Primary Purpose. How about you, this morning? Have you lost your first love? Have you been distracted from your Primary Purpose by the world and worldly things? When was the last time you shared Jesus with an unbeliever? When was the last time you took time to really read your Bible...to search the scriptures for light? When was the last time you were on your face before God in prayer? When was the last time you were caught away in worship to the point where the world and everyone around you became nonexistant? Is your love for Christ fresh? Is it up to date? Is He still your first love? Jesus tells them that there is no time to waste! His call is URGENT and IMMEDIATE. He warns that He is about to cut them off. He will not sit second chair. With Christ it is always all or nothing. We cannot serve two masters. You cannot hold hands with the Devil and Christ at the same time. Jesus is a gentleman and He doesnt go where He isnt invited. My Mom used to tell me things in a way I could understand. She told me, as a young teen, If you look around during your day and need Jesus and He isnt there, its probably because you didnt invite Him. OUCH! She was also fond of telling me that I shouldnt go ANYWHERE that Jesus would be reluctant to go to because if He should return while I was there, He might not come in to get me. That was good advice that has stuck with me all these years. Not being a Theologian, Im not sure what the Nicolaitan Business was, but evidently it was abhorrent to our Savior and He gives them credit for not being involved in it. One thing I have learned is that if anything I am around is not of God and Christ, Himself, wouldnt approve, I stay clear away from it. I dont want anything to come between me and Jesus, today. I truly pray about EVERYTHING. Anything Jesus hates is on my list of things NOT to do. He then asks them if their EARS are awake. This indicates to me that they have passed the point of where His gentle voice is effective. Perhaps they had fallen into feeling superior. Perhaps they were resting on their laurels instead of actively pursuing their faith in Jesus. Regardless, if Jesus has to ask if your ears are awake, obviously, He has tried to speak to your heart and gotten nowhere. He then reminds them of all He is preparing for them in Heaven. When He refers to tree of life food, He is talking about immortality. He is speaking of eternal life with Him. He is speaking of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. That is an event I want to be present for. I dont know if this will be a Spiritual or physical banquet but it is a celebration of the vanquishing of Satan and I want to be there! How about you? How badly do you want to share in that celebration? How badly do you want to see Jesus? I am sharing a song from the old all day sings I used to attend with my Grandparents. I hope you enjoy it. Until we meet again, know that this song is my testimony today: youtube/watch?v=trCGDVi4Y68
Posted on: Thu, 07 Nov 2013 13:18:02 +0000